Dangers of Secondhand Smoke

1. Dangers of Secondhand Smoke • What is Secondhand Smoke? Secondhand smoke is the combination of smoke that comes from a cigarette and smoke breathed out by a smoker. When a non-smoker is around someone smoking, they breathe in secondhand smoke. • Is Secondhand Smoke Dangerous? Secondhand smoke is dangerous to anyone who breathes it in. There is no safe amount of secondhand smoke. It contains over 7,000 harmful chemicals, at least 250 of which are known to damage your health. It can also stay in the air for several hours after somebody smokes. Even breathing secondhand smoke for a short amount of time can hurt your body. Over time, secondhand smoke can cause serious health issues like cancer and heart disease in non-smokers. For more information, visit: http://smokefree.gov/secondhand-smoke ----------------------------------------- • Each year, about 34,000 nonsmokers in the United States die from heart disease caused by secondhand smoke. • Secondhand smoke exposure causes an estimated 7,300 lung cancer deaths annually among adult nonsmokers in the United States. • Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work increase their lung cancer risk by 20–30%. For more information, visit: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/resources/data/cigarette-smoking-in-united-states.html ------------------------------------------ Learn about the harmful chemicals contained in secondhand smoke by visiting: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Tobacco/ETS ------------------------------------------ For more information, visit: http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/tobaccocancer/secondhand-smoke http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/adult-health/in-depth/secondhand-smoke/art-20043914 http://meetings.smokefree.gov/